Joseph Pennacchio, MD

"He put my Mother on a treatment that was unsafe(it killed people on trials), they pushed a third treatment on her and when the medicine started to kill her - he was no where to be found. Did not see her once on the hospital. Stay away from him. He doesn't care about his patients. One of his assistants called AFTER she died to book another treatment."

"We made the mistake in expecting Dr. Pinnochio to best explain the details of my father's pancreatic cancer to full capacity and give us his best guidance before making a decision to start chemo. Upon our first visit, he did not address staging, timeline, details of the tumor, my dad's chances, nothing except "this is hard to treat and aggressive but we have a plan for you to start lighter, less effective chemo etc etc and we can see what happens... so do you want to do it?" My father looked to me for an answer. I was stunned from the surprising vagueness of this spiel and could only say, "it's up to you...". My dad trusted in the doctor and said "sure". Joseph didn't make chemo sound too bad... why not, right? I left that visit uneasy with our decision. My dad at that point was in and out of the hospital for 2 weeks, severely underweight at 98lbs with no appetite. At the follow up, i had to push for his details: stage 4 with 11cm tumor, already spread to lungs and to a severely damaged liver, 20% chance of chemo would "work"... for what? How much longer would it realistically be able to give him and at what cost? For MAYBE a more few weeks (?) days (?) of bedridden misery?? The nurse repeated her script, "i wish i had crystal ball but we don't know until we try... you don't have anything to lose-". I had to cut her off. "Yes we do. My dad could lose his life quicker in more misery. Bffr.... Would you honestly do this if you looked like him??? With your experience, you honestly would recommend chemo at this late stage if you were him??" Blank stare. She couldn't answer and called Joseph to come in to say "it doesn't look good. We caught it very late. It's a long shot" If you knew in your heart it wasn't going to be good with maybe 20%, why did you let my dad decide without even telling him that... "it's not about lack of honesty, if a patient wants to try we support them"... ($$??) In the end with hospice, my dad lived 14 days of dignity after his initial oncology appt - able to walk on his own, eat a bit, drink and enjoy the summer sun with music surrounded my loved ones every day at home until the end. Advocate your hardest for your loved ones and consider quality vs quantity of life with your decision. We had to make the right decision for us. Rest in peace, my daddy. I miss you so much "

"I would like to give a 0 rating, but the system won’t allow me. Dr. Pennacchio is the worst doctor I have ever encountered. His patients are simply statistics, all the same, not seen and cared for as individuals. His office dispenses the treatment, and he can’t even take the time to walk down 2 flights of stairs (or take the elevator) to check on patients in need. He should be ashamed of himself. The fact that he has been practicing medicine for as long as he has is astounding. There are not enough bad things to be said about this man and the way he runs his practice."

"They care for everyone,the Dr.is awesome listens to,you,no rushing,take his time to explain...very well recommended"